


Buwan

by sunkenshipsanddreams



Series: Buwan [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Church (Short Film 2019), Dragon Ball
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe: Planet Vegeta Exists, Angst, Childhood Friends, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Headcanon, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rebellion, Religious Cults, Saiyan Culture, Saiyans, Silver Millennium Era, So much angst, Turles Adopts a kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24347494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkenshipsanddreams/pseuds/sunkenshipsanddreams
Summary: Based off of the "Church Animatic" by @toastyglow on tumblr.The Saiyans weren't just warriors when Frieza put them under his employment, they were his entertainment, too- even if it was all a sham under the shadow of its supposed "glory."
Relationships: Turles/Tomoe Hotaru
Series: Buwan [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757821
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Church

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ImAHungryNacho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImAHungryNacho/gifts).



_If you were church, I’d get on my knees…_

_Confess my love, I’d know where to be…_

_My sanctuary, you’re holy to me…_

_If you were church…_

_I’d get on my knees…_

(“Church” - Fall Out Boy)

**_~:x:~_ **

It was dark, damp, and cold in the tunnels under the ancient temple, with three people walking in a single file line down to the ceremonial chamber. Between two masked adults was a young boy around nine or ten years of age, clad in a pair of loose black pants and an equally dark, sleeveless shirt bound together by an orange sash. His raven locks were wild with two locks standing up akin to a pair of curved horns, and his skin was a healthy sunkissed color as his grey eyes wandered before resting on a mutilated Saiyan corpse with a brand on his exposed wrist in smooth Arcosian.

 _Executioner_ , it read.

The boy went pale as he began to realize his fate.

Eventually, the triad reached a small room meant for informal rites, where an assortment of branding irons lay to the side. The man who had led them into the room selected the one that matched the mark on the dead Saiyan’s wrist and heated it with his ki, removing the glove they’d placed on his hands and holding his wrist firmly to put his new vocational marking in place.

It took all that the young boy had not to scream at the sharp sting that raced through his very being, and his new warden’s hand removed the brand to reveal that the branding was over with.

The new scar seemed to mock him now.

**_~:x:~_ **

The new healer’s apprentice wandered through the courtyard, unsure of where she was walking as the sun’s rays beat down on her from above.

Suddenly the sound of muffled scratching and sobs reached her ears, lilac eyes wandering down to the storm drain beside her foot, and as she lay on her stomach to find out what got stuck under there she silently gasped.

There, sitting in one of the many dungeon cells was a young boy around her age, his knees curled up with his face buried between them. Wound tightly around his shin was a furry brown tail that could have been something akin to a monkey’s, and as the young girl moved her raven tresses out of her eyes to get a better look, she spied the boy was looking up towards her, hopelessness and fear written all over his young face.

 _“Hi’shi… Ni’khui abann?”_ he asked in a language that she had never heard before, which served only to confuse her.

 _“Hi’shi su’r kha… Ni’khui abann?”_ the boy asked again, tears streaming down his tanned cheeks. His voice was glass, shattering with every word as it suddenly clicked in her mind.

He was asking about his home.

Before she could respond the bells rang thrice, signaling the noon hour and her departure before the head healer found out she wasn’t where she was supposed to be- in the Cleric’s Hall.

She couldn’t help but wonder who he was.

**_~:x:~_ **

Two months after Turles had been branded, his constant visitor had always been the young temple acolyte. Day after day she came to visit, each time with something new. And on the days she brought nothing, Turles taught her what he could of his native tongue.

Today she came with a board and some chalk, writing down a few glyphs and sounding them out to him in her language. He could speak a little after hearing her talk to him, even gave her his name in return for her own.

She introduced herself as “Hotaru,” and honestly, Turles liked her name.

“Good Morning, Turles! Today’s the day you learn how to read Saturnian!” Hotaru whispered, knowing that the young Saiyan could hear her.

Turles, in response, pressed his face to the bars as well as he could, his fulmine grey eyes glowing in the dark morning as the moons began to fade with the coming of dawn. It was Turles’ idea so they weren’t caught by the night guards around the temple grounds.

Their lesson went smoothly, and Turles couldn’t wait to teach Hotaru more about where he came from, what he knew and loved about his home.

**_~:x:~_ **

Years passed. Hotaru had been sent away to another temple, sent away to learn “discipline.”

Turles had started his executions exactly one year after she had left.

Currently, he was walking over to a drain attached to the side of the wall, his head held down by a spiky, pink tub of lard as they poured a heavy bucket of water over his body to wash away the blood. Under the cover of the cool liquid, he opened his mouth to wash away the blood staining his teeth and its acrid, metallic taste.

At twenty one winters, Turles Dakai of the Ambren Tribe could say that he was a bit lacking in terms of combat knowledge- as what little combat he’d been formally trained in had lasted for a few years before they’d decided to slap ki blockers on him on top of his branding.

A “humiliation at its peak” is what Turles would define this shame as, even after his captors finished with their rinse when he heard familiar footsteps and turned his head to face who was no doubt a Cleric of the Temple-

Turles felt his heart stop.

There she was, only taller, dressed in white with a veil over her raven locks. He could tell that Hotaru had recognized him also, as there was only one Saiyan alive in the so-called holy place, but as she held her glowing hands up, he felt a wound on his bare chest heal and fully restore itself- as if he hadn’t been struck with a sharp blade just half an hour prior.

Turles knew better than to speak her name in the sham of hallowed walls with his captors present, even once Hotaru’s job was done and she had long departed after being called away.

 _“I wonder… do you still remember me, Hotaru?”_ Turles whispered into the night, careful to keep his eyes shut as the full moon gradually passed by his glorified cage.

**_~:x:~_ **

Weeks passed. Turles had more executions to fulfill. And Hotaru would patch him up every time he was injured, minor scrapes to bloody gashes.

Turles watched Hotaru training alone in the courtyard, having conjured a wicked polearm to practice some forms with, and her lilac eyes met his with an encouraging grin.

 _Follow my lead_ , Hotaru’s gentle gaze seemed to say, and Turles slid into the hold position that his closest friend had easily assumed. Hotaru’s movements were swift and graceful, calculated, and Turles followed her every move and unspoken order to the letter.

Then, after one close call in the coliseum, they’d decided to move on to hand to hand katas, and Turles’ improvement skyrocketed to the point where he could easily carry out his duties without getting so much as a scratch.

Then came the young child with the brand that signified a murderer black against his pale chest and clutching a broken bottle, barely older than a cub, really. About the same age as he’d been when he’d been abducted.

And looking at the young, battered thing before him as he halted in his tracks, he couldn’t help but see a younger version of himself with paler skin and slightly tamer hair, about four or five summers old and terrified beyond his wits much like the life no doubt sent in to die by his hand.

 _‘No,’_ he mentally yelled out. _‘Never a child. Never someone who has never known true freedom in a Gods-fosaken hellhole like_ this _.’_

He felt a stinging pain against his bare back, craning his neck to find one of his “keepers” prodding him forward with the hot end of a metal staff.

Turles’ refusal to budge is what gets him beaten and bloodied to the point where he blacks out, covering his head with the loudest yell he’d released since setting foot into their stronghold.

**_~:x:~_ **

Hotaru walked past the small hovel where the priests and retainers put those they deemed “cleansed”, feeling immense disgust and sadness when she noticed the young child two men had carelessly thrown into the pile. He was bleeding from his ears and eyes, down to his nose and mouth, and for a second, Hotaru could only mourn the loss of one so young when she caught sight of Turles’ limp form being dragged onto the floor like a ragdoll.

Her eyes went wide with horror at the sight of all of his wounds out in the open, still bleeding profusely and completely unattended to before they unceremoniously threw him to the floor.

Something in her snapped, filling her with raw anger and an ardor to heal her oldest friend to the point where he looked brand new as she walked over, lilac eyes seemingly beginning to glow as a dim violet light glowed underneath the band on her headdress. Her hands glowing a more vibrant lilac than before, she healed him to the point where Turles almost carried an ethereal glow to him, even his hidden tail being healed from the abuse they’d dealt to his body, and by the time the magic had faded, the Ambren man was on his knees as Hotaru rushed to him.

Turles curled into the woman’s hold as soon as she placed his arms around him, gnashing his teeth together as his memory of what had happened in the ring just an hour flooded his mind and gently gripping her shoulders. For the first time in ten years, Turles’ muted sobs seemed to echo, the familiar feeling of that young child’s corpse in his hands, of his brand being invoked to the point where he was little more than a mindless animal- it made him sick to so much as think about it.

For the first time in ten years, Turles Dakai was a boy terrified of his fate.

Footsteps echoed behind him, angrier than a nest of hornets when disturbed, and suddenly he was yanked away forcefully by the same people who’d beaten him until he could only wish for the pain to end-

And the moment he saw one of them grab Hotaru, he tried to struggle in vain when they severed her connection to her power- the black marking showing that she was a Cleric of the Temple, and Hotaru’s body fell limp as she slipped into unconsciousness.

**_~:x:~_ **

The next thing Turles remembers is that he’s tied to an executioner’s block not too far from the room they’d branded him in, and Hotaru’s eyes fluttered open to wakefulness. He can tell that her eyes are blurry, and her habit was removed from her head to reveal black locks that shone brightly enough to be onyx in the sun.

Turles’ fulmine grey eyes spy over to the archway in the room, where he spots a little boy, likely no older than six or seven years old wearing the same garb he had been put in upon his arrival -only with an erintite green sash holding his pants up- walking past with two men garbed in white and wearing masks over their faces. His hair is a tousled mess, cropped close to his head at the back, and what shocks and horrifies Turles the most isn’t when he looks over to see the events happening before his eyes.

It’s that the boy is a Saiyan- a member of the Erinitic Tribe, much like his father had been before marrying his mother, and his first hours in the temple come back to him.

Turles wastes no time in struggling against his bonds even as his executioner raises his axe to lop his head off in one fell swoop. Even as Hotaru manages to escape her captors and rush over to where Turles stands and bowls the man with the axe over and catches the weapon just as it falls and cuts him free.

Turles gives her a grin like never before. “Looks like we get to fight together, eh?”

Hotaru chuckles before placing her attention back to the priest swinging to land a blow on her head, deftly blocking with the axe despite how clumsy it feels in her hands when Turles slams a knee into the face of his warden of eleven years.

(By Czar, it’s incredibly _relieving_ to break free.)

It doesn’t take long for the present Clerics in the Execution Hall to be either killed or knocked unconscious, and like magic, Turles’ ki bindings fall off of his wrists when they hear footsteps behind them.

It’s the Erinitic cub, hesitantly walking over as if unsure if he should follow them or not when Turles kneels down and extends a hand.

 _“Let’s get out of here, cub.”_ he speaks in rusty Sadalan, and the boy smiles slightly as he lays his hand into the Ambren’s. 

Then more priests and clerics show up guns blazing, and Turles picks up the cub and pulls Hotaru with him towards the window as she gives the Saiyan man a weary smile before she summons a sharp glaive and holds it ready for a throw, the weapon’s aura menacing and pulling him in at the same time before she hurls it at the window with enough force to completely shatter it and reveals the moons in their waxing glory, starships coming and going to join the stars and the cesspool of a world they were on.

Turles feels himself truly _breathe_ for the first time in over a decade.

**_~:x:~_ **

The trio was still running through the woods towards the nearest ship to safety, to _home_ , and upon reaching a river, decided to stop and wash off their wounds when it occurs to them that they never asked their young companion what his name was.

 _“Hu’seh ke as’shi, sh’aha?”_ Turles asked, and Hotaru mentally translated what he said as he’d asked her the same question once upon a time before stalking over to the brook.

_What’s your name, cub?_

“Hiukka. Hiukka Musa of the Erinitic Tribe of Planet Vegeta.” Hiukka answers in Common, and suddenly the question is poked at them in return. “Who are you?”

Turles gives Hiukka a nod of his head in a proper greeting. "Turles Dakai of the Ambren Tribe of Planet Vegeta."

Hiukka nodded through his bangs, his cobalt blue eyes glowing in the light of the twin moons in the heavens above.

"Are we… going home?" Hiukka asked, still slightly scared at the prospect of not being able to go home.

Turles took a moment to glance at Hotaru, who was currently washing out the gash just under her collarbone before looking back at the cub. “I don’t know, Hiukka. But maybe we can find a way back to either Saturn,” Turles’ grey eyes shot back to Hotaru for a split second before returning to Hiukka’s skeptic gaze, “or Planet Vegeta. Maybe we can return to Sadala- if we ever find it.”

Hope and relief swelled in Hiukka’s chest at the thought, visible on his face. _“Tuh’rhi khi abann a’hei?”_

Turles nodded. “We’re going to go home, kid. But first,” Turles jabbed a thumb at the stream behind him, “We need to clean our wounds and ourselves before we do anything else.”

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles had perched himself onto one of the larger rocks surrounding the brook, merely observing his surroundings.

 _‘How did this part of Hell turn out so beautifully?’_ Turles asked himself, before his eyes landed on the rushing stream of water below his perch.

Turles observed the moons on the brook, his grey eyes following the flow of the crystal clear waters to where Hotaru and Hiukka were splashing around in the water rather than washing their faces(and the wound on Hotaru's collarbone). They'd taken care of what would surely be scars later, and his eyes strayed to the Arcosian branding on the underside of his wrist.

_Executioner._

But now, Turles, Hotaru and Hiukka were free- away from the clutches of their former captors, and headed back to where they were truly welcome, to where they _belonged_ \- and nothing made the Ambren male any further elated than the very thought.

 _'Thank you, Diyan, for giving me this second chance. For giving us the freedom of living again.'_ Turles silently prayed to the deity, a fond grin creeping up on his lips as he stood up and off his rock to join his companions in their fun as his tail unwound itself from his waist after having hidden it for years.

_A new step in a new direction leads to a new life._

**_~:x:~_ **

Hotaru took a moment to think of what had happened just as she’d thrown her glaive into the window to set them free- moreso how she was even able to summon the deadly weapon in the first place.

The Silence Glaive, for all Hotaru knew, wasn’t even meant for her. And while Saturn may have had rulers, with a king notoriously famous for sleeping around, much like the Jovian king, she was merely a shopkeeper's apprentice before her days as a Cleric. 

So how did she wind up summoning the most feared weapon in all of the Sol System?

Hotaru shook her head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts, watching Hiukka hang off of Turles’ shoulders as they entered some nearby ruins and laughing merrily- and while Turles didn’t always grin, Hotaru could tell he was happy despite his back facing her.

It brought a soft smile to her lips to see him free as a bird for the first time in well over a decade, and a weight vanished from her chest when Turles pulled Hiukka upright by his ankles and had the boy stand on his much larger hands.

Almost like an older brother.

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles kept watch as his companions slept that night, making sure that they were as warm as possible with the massive fire pit he’d dug into the floor with a well-placed ki-blast. It wasn’t quite enough to capture anyone’s attention, but it would last them long enough to be able to make food with it, extinguish and go on to the nearest port city as far away from the Arcosian Temple as was possible.

Taking note of a nearby puddle of water deep enough to be a well, Turles took note that they would soon approach a desert. They’d need waterskins, food and other provisions to be able to survive the harsh conditions before finally reaching the spaceport and leaving for safety.

By his guess, it would take about two days to get there and through by foot, and four hours by sky nonstop if they were lucky enough to not be spotted.

And as Turles took notice of the moons, another problem came to mind as he took a look at Hiukka’s sleeping form, curled up like a ball into Hotaru’s side as she too slept peacefully.

It was the fact that the lesser moon would be full by the end of their trek if they decided to go on foot, considering how quickly it revolved around Arcos.

And Saiyans and full moons, especially when those Saiyans were a former executioner and his newfound ward, did not mix well. _Especially_ not in urban areas.

The Ambren man sighed quietly. It might take a bit, but when Hiukka and Hotaru woke up, he’d hunt for breakfast and then they would leave for the nearest town in the opposite direction of their pursuants.

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles wasn’t an idiot, he’d smelled Dodoria’s fat self along with a small squad of others when they managed to cross the stream and gone into the ruins. Not to mention, the bubblegum tub of lard had a scouter on him- there was no way he wouldn’t be able to detect Turles' higher power level.

Hiukka was thankfully not a combatant just yet- as it turned out he was five years old and not six like he’d first guessed.

Hotaru was not meant to be involved in this conflict by any means or circumstance, but when she went against the temple by healing him and marked herself for death, that had changed.

Now it was time that he paid off the favor- but first, he had to keep them safe.

Looking over towards the city in the distance, Turles thought quickly, carrying a sleeping Hiukka on his back and holding him there firmly with his tail before sidling closer to Hotaru. “Dodoria and his goons are following us.” He whispered quietly, making sure that Hiukka couldn’t hear him.

Hotaru discreetly glanced around, keeping an eye out for any signs of the spiky wad of pink waste, and upon seeing none so far turned her attention back to Turles. “Are you sure?” she whispered lowly, the hair on the back of her neck raising as a chill raced down her spine.

Turles nodded, a grim look on his face. “I’m absolutely certain about it. That stinky wad of gum was my handler during my days in the arena,” Grey eyes looked ahead, searching for some form of cover. “And I’d recognize that battle power _anywhere_.”

"...Then what do we do? We can't just stay here and _wait_ for him- that’s going to get us killed."

Turles crossed his arms, a scowl on his face as he racked his brain for the possibilities they could safely entertain. “There’s a spaceport on the city docks, we could steal a ship and leave this wretched planet behind.”

Hotaru raised a brow, even as she kept her eyes glued to the wide, sandy expanse of desert before them, taking note of the treacherously winding peaks akin to grand spires atop a palace before bringing her gaze back to their young companion. The Erinitic boy was undisturbed from his slumber, and Turles hoped it stayed that way as he took notice of the setting sun.

“For now, let’s just keep moving. You okay with that?” Turles asked, offering Hotaru his hand. He doubted she could fly on her own, though something niggling his mind told him otherwise.

Hotaru took it anyway, taking notice of his thinly-veiled apprehension. “We’ll make it. You two will make it back home and eventually, so will I,” Hotaru took in a breath, lavender eyes looking into stormy grey. “Have some faith in that, hmm, Turles?”

Turles looked away and chuckled, staring at the city ahead with a newfound determination.

Ten years. That’s how much the both of them had lost of their lives- of themselves, their heritage and cultures.

They’d make it back. Turles would take the Vows of Rey to make sure they made it back alive, safe and well if the Gods demanded it- but their first step was leaving Planet Arcos.

To do that, they’d need a ship- after crossing the desert first.


	2. To Freedom, The Gods Await

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our trio makes two reunions and hears news of the dearly departed.

Turles was a fast flyer, making sure to evade as much of the lesser moon’s captivating spell as possible before he finally saw the city gates ahead. Hiukka had already woken, but was careful to not look up. Hotaru had been their lookout, nudging their pilot in the right direction, and upon seeing the city gates, noticed that they were closed. 

Thankfully, no guards were stationed at the gates- meaning that the Temple had no footholds here- and concerningly enough, there wasn’t a barrier around the city parameters. 

It should have raised a few red flags, but Turles ignored his hackles raising in favor of searching for shelter as he landed in the dark, empty streets of Galcir, immediately ducking into an empty home completely unlived in. 

Hotaru followed him, tugging Hiukka along and into the darkness. Saturnians, like Saiyans, had adept night vision- though for different reasons. Saturnians, mainly due to the distance from their sun, and Saiyans due to the intensity of their moons when lit. Three sets of eyes glowed in the space, in search of a room with no windows so they could all sleep on what rest they could acquire- and possibly stow away on a ship at the nearby spaceport. Planet Vegeta, if Turles remembered correctly, was about nine stars east in relativity to Arcos- with Saturn being the sixth world in the Sol System.

And the Sol System was almost fifteen star systems  _ south  _ of Planet Vegeta.

A six-month journey. 

Turles forced himself to rest as soon as they locked the door behind the three of them, soaking in the chill of the night air as the dawn approached ever so slowly. 

**_~:x:~_ **

Hiukka was the first to open his eyes, taking notice of the sudden chill down his spine despite the desert heat, and shook the adult nearest to him awake. 

That adult turned out to be Turles, who woke up upon the first frantic oscillation. “Huh?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about something,” Hiukka whispered, sitting up before the sound of heavy footsteps and falling dust silenced them both and woke up Hotaru.

The intruder’s gait was slow, measured- as if they were hunting for something. 

Turles would bet his lucky silvers that it was a bounty hunter come looking for them when he noticed a gap in the boarded-up window next to them, early morning sunlight filtering through the cracks as Turles came up with an idea- one that Hotaru had also drawn towards as the pair looked at each other and smirks grew on their faces before looking down to their young charge.

Hiukka, for all that he knew, had no idea what they were planning before Turles held a hand up to their sealed exit, ready to make good use of the element of surprise so they could get to the spaceport and leave when he suddenly felt Hiukka latch onto his arm in an attempt to pull it down. 

Grey eyes looked into cobalt blue, and Turles realized that Hiukka had something to suggest. 

_ ‘Something you need to add?’  _ Turles telepathically communicated, lowering his hand before he could let any ki that may have possibly gathered loose too early.

_ ‘Disguises. They know what we look like, remember?’  _ Hiukka smartly pointed out before going over to what seemed to be an abandoned wardrobe full of clothes for men, women, and young children- said wardrobe had forgone a door at some point, but Hiukka had found no difficulty in snagging the unused clothing before tossing it at his “guardians” with little fanfare.

Turles could only wonder just  _ which _ military general sired the boy for him to have such a tactical mind, because that could be the only explanation for his genius. Turles slipped on the shirt he’d been given- black with amber and red accents complete with mid-length sleeves, so vividly reminiscent of  _ home _ \- and took the pants after moving behind a partition where Hotaru and Hiukka couldn’t see him change into a much more comfortable pair of black satin pants. After Turles emerged, and with no small amount of haste, Hotaru proceeded to hide behind the partition to change as well. 

Hiukka simply put something over his shirt and tied a turban around his head, sliding his feet into a pair of sandals.

The footsteps on the other hand grew ever louder, signaling that it was time to go as Turles leveled a hand to the sealed window after putting on a hood to keep his hair hidden(he blames his father for the disastrous mess of spikes on his head)-

-And blasts the only thing keeping them away from freedom to oblivion, pulling his closest friend and fellow Saiyan out into the dawn-lit streets of one of Arcos’ busiest cities.

**_~:x:~_ **

The first thing the trio does is book it to the spaceport.

The building itself, thankfully, is large enough to be seen from even the city gates, so they have a general idea of where they’re going and how far away they are. 

It turned out that the spaceport was closer than they’d believed it to be- about a fifteen-minute walk, but a five-minute sprint- and were making hairpin turns as the streets began to fill up with everyone going about their business for the day. Turles uses his nose to follow the scent of newly-docked passengers, zeroing in on one specific street as he settled Hiukka on his shoulders, his free hand taking Hotaru along with them when they see an unguarded gateway and-

Turles grins widely, taking notice of the sole spacecraft. It looked old but  _ functional _ , and it was what they needed at that very moment. 

He set Hiukka down first after showing him what he’d found, hurrying him to enter their ticket off this wretched planet and ushering Hotaru inside next, hoping he’d remembered just  _ how  _ to pilot an older model ship and closing the hatch just as spaceport personnel took notice of them.

Turles started up the ship’s engines, hydraulics, and thrusters- taking off immediately because  _ honestly, did they need to stay another second? _ \- and blasted off towards Planet Vegeta as fast as the phantom drives would allow. 

They ignored all radio calls and hails back to Arcos, the garnet and tan world, along with the days filled with scarring nightmares, far behind them at last.

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles took notice of the lack of food as soon as they got to Bahirau-4, along with the lack of fuel, and immediately pulled up a planetary atlas to search for a waystation. Somebody had also been stupid enough to leave six large bags of coin the size of a surveillance drone in the ship- a fact that Hotaru had quickly found upon taking a look at the ship’s interior for any form of damage from disuse. 

It turned out that the old ship they’d pilfered was an older scout ship, complete with the bare necessities to an extent, but whatever food was there they’d all devoured just after rocketing off-world.

Hiukka sat in one of the nearby seats with Hotaru, playing a little game that she’d played with him when they were children and he was learning how to speak Common and Saturnian. 

The Erinitic boy seemed to be enjoying the game immensely, going off of his wide grin- fangs and all, and Turles could only join in as he landed their transport and disembarked to restock and refuel. 

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles strolled through the frozen marketplace, his hood pulled up over his head as he navigated the busy streets of the winter bazaar. He'd nabbed a few sets of furs, along with some pelts to combat the cold earlier and was in search of food-something warm-and potentially raw ingredients to stock up on- and the Ambren man rammed into a broad male chest seconds later headfirst. 

Turles looked up at the inadvertent roadblock with a scowl that Bardock would have been proud of- only to freeze with surprise when he took notice of the  _ very  _ familiar Zircontic garb, the tail, the undercut that he sported- and instinctively realized that he'd just run into the Grand General of the Saiyan Army.

General Nappa Maisa of the Zircontic Tribe. 

Nappa gave the younger Saiyan man a look of surprise, as if unbelieving that he was even  _ alive,  _ to begin with, and took in his cloaked appearance. 

_ "By Shah…"  _ he silently gasped in Sadalan, his zircon blue eyes wide.  _ "You're Bardock's son. The one that vanished and never came back."  _

Turles could only nod, numb.  _ "That's me, alright…" _

He had a feeling this was the start of something both unexpected and a long time coming.

**_~:x:~_ **

Hiukka sat in the storage rafters of their stolen ship, observing the frozen winter of Bahirau-4 from above though the solar window as Hotaru checked for bugs and trackers attached to any part of their ship to avoid trouble later when the main entryway opened sesame, Turles and a taller, burlier man stumbling forth and closing the doors in a frantic rush with cheeks bitten by the wintry frost. 

"Did you get everything Tur...les…" Hotaru trailed off, taking notice of the much taller Saiyan next to him as Turles placed his bounty- namely seven bags full of food and other necessities- onto the floor before going over to introduce his new companion when Hiukka spoke up first. 

"Grand General Nappa?" 

The three adults looked up at the stunned boy, who shrugged off his shock and ambled over to the elder Saiyan. 

"Well, well, if it isn't Commander Musa's son," Nappa began, recognizing the boy. "You got taken to Arcos?" 

Turles answered for him. "He was  _ kidnapped _ on false grounds of glory- all because I refused to kill an innocent kid. Had they succeeded in executing me, their then executioner, he'd have been branded and restrained."

Turles unwound the black wrapping on his left arm, turning the underside of his wrist to show the shinier, paler marking amongst the medium tan hue of his skin. 

Nappa's expression changed from shock, to doubt and then to cold, silent  _ anger _ . 

"I brought a battlecruiser here with me. You can dock your ship inside and we can get back to the homeworld, tell the King and the Chieftains about what's happening." Nappa quietly spoke, startling the Saiyans near him. "I'll send out a hailing beacon as soon as I get back to my crew."

"Wait!" Hiukka called out, a worried look on his face. "Is my father with you?"

Nappa stilled, silent. 

Turles' brow furrowed, taking notice of the stiffness of Nappa's shoulders. 

Something was wrong, he could feel it.

Nappa finally answered him. "Daikhou's on Planet Vegeta waiting for you."

Hiukka's shoulders sagged in relief as if he'd feared the worst. "And my brother?" 

"On a mission." Nappa immediately replied, barreling out of their transport to avoid any further questions. 

The gnawing void in Turles' gut didn't recede- only widened.

**_~:x:~_ **

_ "Something's off with him,"  _ Turles told Hotaru, this time in Saturnian.  _ "The few times I've seen him in Sadaal City, back when my Dad would take me to see him for his briefings, Nappa was  _ never  _ this quiet about something. If anything, he made sure to tell people who lost family just what happened to them, but…" _

_ "You've got a bad feeling about Hiukka's family, don't you?"  _ Hotaru responded, taking notice of her oldest friend's worry. It may have been years since they'd seen each other, but the impact of their bond was as unbreakable as always- she knew Turles and his moods, his instincts. 

Turles narrowed his eyes as he started the ignition and thrusters, keeping his eyes through the window before him. 

He inhaled deeply.  _ "If it turns out that I'm right…"  _ Worried grey eyes looked back at the sleeping boy burrowed under numerous furs.  _ "Then I have no idea what I'll tell him. Hotaru, I haven't the foggiest idea of how I'll break it to him that his family may have died."  _

Hotaru remained silent, lavender eyes focused on their possibly permanent charge behind them. 

Turles tapped her shoulder to get her attention.  _ “There’s Nappa’s flagship dead ahead,”  _ he began, this time in Sadalan,  _ “The Survivor Blue.”  _

The  _ Survivor Blue  _ was every bit as large as an army cruiser could get- and even more lined with markings befitting of a Grand General. The ship itself was shaped like an Azorean Destroyer, sleek and decorated with blue patterns in a shade not too far from what Hotaru remembered the seas of Terra to resemble-if only in hue- and vaguely, on the hull’s flank, she could make out the smooth characters for the name of the ship. 

They read just as Turles had said, though the young Saturnian woman had questions about the name.

_ “Survivor Blue?”  _ Hotaru asked. 

_ “The Grand General hails from the Zircontic Tribe- in the far south of Planet Vegeta’s icy seas. The members of the Royal Guard all come from each of the eleven Tribes, but the Zircontic Emblem is a deep blue- hence the ship’s name.”  _ Turles further inundated, having had to mentally recite his people's history throughout his years of captivity.

“Makes sense if you think about it that way,” Hotaru replied in Common. 

Hiukka stirred awake, having heard the proximity warning, and looked out of the polarized window to see the cargo bay of the  _ Survivor Blue  _ fast approaching. “We’re here?” 

Turles grunted in affirmation, slowly lowering their transport into an empty pod dock to disembark. 

**_~:x:~_ **

Hotaru took in her surroundings in awe, observing the white walls lined with silver and blue and the windows that showed the Bahirau system in all its glory. Beside them was Bahirau-4, a beautiful, majestic jewel not unlike Terra in its melting pot of different climate zones and multiple continents, and as Hiukka climbed onto her back for a better look, Hotaru took notice of the three moons in orbit of the medium-sized world- one white, one blue, and the last one a pale red- and followed after Turles and Nappa, who’d come to meet them upon their boarding of the ship.

_ “So, the woman,”  _ Nappa began in Sadalan, whispering low so neither Hotaru nor Hiukka could hear them.  _ “Who is she, your mate, your friend, your…”  _ Nappa struggled with his words, trying to think of another one that could describe their partnership.  _ “Your warden or something?” _

Turles gave him a deadpan look no doubt inherited from Gine, one of his brows camouflaged with his hairline.  _ "If she was my warden, I'd still be on Arcos." _

_ "Oh, wait- you're right about that…"  _ Nappa agreed, crossing his arms after he led his guests into the mess hall to get them fed, "Eat something. I'll go hail the palace and see if the king's there so we can determine the next course of action."

**_~:x:~_ **

The commissary of the  _ Survivor Blue  _ had food that both fed even the hungriest of Saiyans and fed even smaller stomachs onboard, with Turles and Hiukka engorged into their meals. Hotaru had finished just shy of ten minutes prior to their first feast in a while, opting to simply observe space itself for the first time in a while, the Bahirau System behind them. 

She was aware of how long the journey would take, a long six months, seven if problems arose, and all Hotaru well and truly wanted to see was the ringed globe surrounded by a copious amount of moons she called home and hadn't seen in over a decade. 

Saturn was home to several species, diverse as they were, and with its natural sandy golden glow, often looked like a desert despite the paradise that resided under the very atmosphere.

Lavender eyes looked over to the Saiyan males nearly done eating, a fond smile tugging at the Saturnian's lips. 

She could get used to those two being by her side when everything was said and done.

**_~:x:~_ **

Nappa stood next to the polarized windows, mulling over his conversation with the king. 

He thought of the five year old worried about his last living family members- and how he'd react to the news. 

Which, as Nappa had suspected, was terrible. The taste of nauseating anxiety, along with a hollow feeling of loss growing in his stomach, made him want to hurl at the thought- tightly wound knots forming in the pit of his thoughts. 

He didn't see Turles walking over until he spoke, causing the usually vigilant soldier to nearly jump a full foot in the air. 

_ "Something's bothering you,"  _ The Ambren man stated outright in Sadalan.  _ "Something to do with Hiukka." _

Nappa nodded after regaining his bearings.  _ "It's his father." _

Turles was silent, narrowed eyes focused on the nebulae before them.  _ "I had a feeling that was it,"  _ He said ten minutes later,  _ "He's gone to the Keep, hasn't he?" _

The Keep was another name for the realm of the dead, where the Goddess Kaiser watched over the souls of the fallen for all eternity. 

Two pairs of eyes looked over upon hearing the sound of a metal cup clattering to the ground, with said cup thankfully empty, to find a wide eyed Hiukka standing there, motionless as he absorbed the information like a knife to the gut.

"...Hiukka-  _ wait _ !" Turles yelped after the boy, who ran like he was being chased by the reaper Herself.

Turles felt a pit of guilt creeping and twisting around his gut, almost immediately blaming himself for what had happened to his family.

**_~:x:~_ **

Hiukka ran through unfamiliar hallways and into what he assumed were the ship's quarters, curling in on himself. 

They were just kidding, right? His dad was going to be alive when he saw him next, wasn't he?

He wasn’t gone like his sister, too, was he?

His vision blurred with hot tears at the thought, the small boy curling into himself even further as the world seemed to find joy in crushing his hopes like used paper.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but when he looked up, Hotaru was sitting next to him with a pale hand on his shoulder, a gesture of comfort, and he all but launched himself into her arms.

"My dad," he weakly spoke, voice raspy. "I'll never see my dad again. He's gone for good just like my sister-" 

Hiukka couldn't keep speaking, dissolving into quiet sobs as the Saturnian gathered him in her arms and simply held him.

Hotaru understood his pain- even if only slightly. As an infant, she’d been abandoned on the door of one of the many artisans who made the city of Cassini home with no clue who her parents were- and Hotaru doubted she would ever find out to this very day- and then her adoptive parents gave her up all-too-eagerly like some unwanted blight in their lives. 

“...I’ll stay for a bit, if that’s not a problem with you.” Hotaru gently offered, torn between leaving so the boy could grieve and staying so he wasn’t alone.

“Don’t go,” Came the broken whisper, muffled by the slightly damp tunic he had his face buried into.  _ “Stay. Please.”  _

He’d spoken the last words in Saturnian, practically  _ pleading  _ not to be left alone by himself.

She stayed, even after they’d both fallen asleep.

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles walked into the main quarters for the soldiers, fulmine grey hues widening slightly upon finding his only friend and newfound adopted ward fast asleep beside one of the numerous empty cots- most of the others onboard the ship were on the far end of the barracks away from the trio or in the commissary drinking themselves into an unintelligible stupor,- and chuckled fondly, his voice low.

That is, until he saw the dried up tear stains on Hiukka’s cheeks.

The man deflated, gently laying his palm flat on the newly fatherless boy’s head. 

“You wouldn’t have lost your father if it wasn’t for my being stubborn to begin with…” Turles laments aloud, sitting beside them and pulling them close to him to keep them warm. 

Turles would never forgive himself for causing the death of someone’s family, however indirect he had a hand in the act itself.

Unbeknownst to the three, even after Turles joined them in slumber hours later, one of the men aboard the  _ Survivor Blue _ stared at the Ambren man in disbelief, long, messy black hair unkempt even as it went down to his knees as navy blue eyes focused on Turles’ untameable hair before landing on his face- one he strongly recognized as one closely resembling his father’s own. 

_ ‘I need some sleep, there’s no way I’m seeing Turles here after so many years…’  _ he thought, burrowing back into his designated cot to sleep.

**_~:x:~_ **

It turned out that Raditz hadn’t been dreaming- upon waking up a few long hours later, he discovered Turles still asleep in that same spot.

Turles was older, wiser, and unfortunately a bit more wary of everything near him than the proud, outgoing boy he used to be, but there he was- forged by the flames of sheer willpower into a strong man.

In his arms, however, were a young female around twenty and a small boy- who was also a Saiyan,- sleeping peacefully in his protective hold. The female wasn’t Saiyan, Raditz could tell, but the boy most certainly was- that, and a little too old to be Turles’ cub. Turles would likely be about twenty or twenty one years old-the kid seemed only five years of age.

Raditz made up his mind while walking to the showers to call Kakarot and tell him the news when he was out.

Soon, they’d all be back together again- the three of them brothers anew.

Raditz couldn’t  _ wait _ for the moment that happened.

**_~:x:~_ **

Hotaru woke up slightly sore from the position she’d slept in, rubbing the nape of her neck to relieve some of the tension that had built up from when she’d craned her head upon descending into dreamland and felt something heavy laying on her shoulder, unconsciously adjusting her hold on Hiukka as she spied black spikes in her peripheral vision.

She turned around to find Turles fast asleep, his head using her shoulder blade as a makeshift cushion as he caged them inside of his hold protectively, like a guardian spirit of sorts(Or rather, a father protecting his wife and child, her mind randomly supplied, however unhelpful it was towards the situation). His face was relaxed for once, despite the small scars that lined his brow, lower left ear and jaw that spoke of years of combat.

_ “Cute…” _ she mumbled in Saturnian, catching herself and turning red as a cherry at the wayward admission out of embarrassment.

Hotaru was suddenly very glad that Turles was still asleep- along with Hiukka. From her experiences with children, however rare they were, they often asked questions over something they didn’t quite understand- and  _ persistently _ , too.

**_~:x:~_ **

**_“What makes you so sure it’s Turles?”_ **

“Maybe the fact that he may as well be your older copy, for starters. You forget, Kakarot- most occurrences in our family, when a son is born he looks startlingly like the father to nearly the last hair- which happened with both you AND Turles,” Raditz inundated, his communication channel to Kakarot’s scouter open wide as they spoke. “And our brother is most certainly here, alive and breathing.” 

**_“...Raditz, it’s been eleven years- I find that hard to believe.”_** Kakarot intoned in a deadpan voice, still skeptical. 

After all, the last time Kakarot had seen Turles, he had just turned four and Turles was offering himself to be taken in his place.

“That’s what you believe whereas this is how I see it, little brother,” Raditz grumbled in a fashion not unlike what Bardock was known for. “What planet are you on?”

**_“I’m at home on the main military base- right next to the spaceport,”_** Kakarot replied, and suddenly Raditz heard him break out into a run as he seemed to get it. 

“I’ll send you coordinates when we stop for fuel next.” Is all Raditz says before closing the line, making the remainder of his rounds shortly after.

**_~:x:~_ **

Hiukka wakes to find himself protectively caged by Turles’ arms, Hotaru likely having gone to the washrooms to “freshen up,'' as Sabil would often say whenever it was time to bathe.

The boy tried to block last night’s omen out of his memory, focusing only on the present- which currently consisted of being held in the arms of a former executioner who apparently slept like a log. 

A  _ dense  _ log at that, he thinks as he hears the man snore loudly, just like his brother did after a string of missions left him exhausted after coming home and he simply collapsed in his sleeping burrow with very little fanfare.

Hiukka slowly climbs out of Turles’ hold, his bladder kicking into gear as he looks for the lavatory to do his business. Cobalt blue eyes read the designations for the entryways, opened and sealed alike, until his eyes came across the familiar Sadalan characters for “Water Closet.”

The Erinitic boy entered, did his business, washed his hands, and walked out, hoping to get some food from the commissary before it got too crowded in there when he bumped into a tall Saiyan, hair down to his knees like a black waterfall that made his jaw drop in astonishment from the sight. 

The man(an Ambren, going off of the gemstones on his tail ornaments) looked down at the boy with what seemed to be recognition in his eyes as if he’d met Hiukka before somewhere.

“Where are you headed?” The man asked, voice gruff but laced with a slight Sadalan accent. 

“The commissary,” Hiukka replied, his response immediate before the man jabbed a thumb to his right. 

“Take this corridor and it’s the next left,” were all the directions he needed.

**_~:x:~_ **

Turles yawned over the communal wash basin, well-rested for the first time in years, and it showed. 

A wisened, scarred face looked back at him, stormy grey filled with a newfound vigor and drive- and not solely for his next battle. He’d matured from the days when his ego would needlessly blind him when frustrated in times of unrest, his mind now steeled and hardened in preparation for what lay ahead into the future. 

He’d changed into fresh clothes, including some sleeveless black under armor in a turtleneck fashion that seemed to be ever increasingly popular back home, his phthalo blue chestplate on a nearby stool waiting to be in use and so reminiscent of the one he used to wear as a kid- only with the usual PTO style pauldrons attached to the breastplate instead of straps.

Looking back, it kinda reminded him of his father’s armor from back in the day. 

Turles shrugged, waving the coincidence out of his mind as he slipped it on, pulling on a pair of matching gauntlets. His boots were black, with a cord the primary color of his chestplate wrapped around each ankle to complete the look as he walked out and journeyed into the commissary where Hotaru and Hiukka had already begun to eat their morning meal. 

“Morning,” was his short greeting after grabbing some food and taking a seat, taking a bite to delay any kind of conversation.

Hiukka was so engrossed in his meal, he didn’t notice the Ambren man sit down until he felt the barely perceptible shift in weight on the bench, blue eyes looking up to see grey eyes bleary with sleep fighting to stay open despite eating breakfast as he nodded off.

Hotaru looked up from her steamed bun to follow where Hiukka was staring, trying not to chuckle at the way he seemed to resemble a boy Hiukka’s age with his somewhat feline demeanor. 

“Wake up, Turles, you’ll fall into your food.” Hotaru gently shook his shoulder, waking him up a slight bit further. Said man bit into his food with more vigor than he’d started with, seemingly waking up further with every bite. 

Then a tree of a man, with hair long enough to brush the backs of his  _ knees _ , sat down at their table- and Turles  _ choked _ . 

The Ambren man pounded on his chest to dislodge his food, still in surprise from seeing his older brother for the first time in over a decade whereas Raditz, who had hardly changed in personality, chuckled fondly. 

“You still choke when eating like always, Turles. Glad to see  _ some  _ things never change.”

Turles, once he had recovered, looked up at Raditz and had no idea what to even say. While he knew that Raditz’s look of impish glee meant some kind of trouble was to follow-as children, it  _ always _ had-it had been well over a decade since he had last seen his older brother. He could scarcely believe the sight before his eyes, never mind that this was Raditz. The last time they had seen each other, Raditz still had a messy tuft hanging over his forehead rather than the prominent widow’s peak.

What came out of his mouth instead of a returning greeting was: “That grin says you’re up to something. I want no part of your mayhem, Raditz.”

Raditz guffawed, making sure to not drop the meat wrap in his hand. “You wound me, my brother- as if I would suggest anything of the sort!”

Hotaru and Hiukka were both confused. “Wait… you two are brothers?” 

“Without a doubt! Don’t let the hair fool you- we are most certainly related by way of parentage.” Raditz replied as Turles rubbed his temples.

"Now I see why our father said that you would be the death of us." He moaned out of sheer dismay, causing Hotaru and Hiukka both to be even more confused.

"I'm lost…" Hiukka spoke for the first time since he'd run into Raditz for directions.

Turles had a look of long-suffering foreboding. "Just you wait- you're going to find out soon enough."

**_~:x:~_ **

_ Three months later, Mondana System, Planet Nahei, 0800 hours- _

Turles stretched out his arms after his most recent training session planetside, going to shut off the gravity modulator. He had set it for a higher level of gravity than he was used to- roughly 20g- and it had done him some good to touch back to his roots a bit. Honestly, he had begun to believe that he didn't remember any of his training before his kidnapping at all-so when Raditz had offered a friendly spar to catch up, he had no qualms doing so- hell, they'd both knocked each other into the medbay to be healed when all was said and done.

The older of the two had remarked on how his technique had suffered a bit from some years of disuse, but had overall been impressive.

Turles looked himself over in the nearby mirror, eyes landing on the scar on his face from almost his hairline down to just below his ear- which had twin scars just above the lobe. 

_ 'They make me who I am,' _ he thought, almost seeing Bardock looking back at him with his own battle-tested features.  _ 'Just like Father's scars prove his willpower and testament to living.' _

Somehow, it felt as though he was demeaning himself to an extent.

The moment he looked up after washing his face, he saw Nappa's reflection behind him, the Grand General's arms crossed as they almost always were. 

"Something you need?" Turles asked, wiping his face off with a towel. 

Nappa nodded. "Size selections for under armor on the main deck. After this, we head en route to Shadri to pick up more food supplies." 

The Ambren man nodded and followed him down to the bridge, where the size selections were being made. He hadn’t had once since he was seventeen winters, so to have one done now at twenty one felt like a relief he hadn’t been given in years. Upon seeing the selections, however, his eyes immediately landed on the black, breathable yet durable pants, deciding to grab two sets of what looked to be around his size before he went to search for his armor to see how it would look and coming back fully changed and looking slightly freshened up from before after a shower. 

Hiukka trotted up to him with some mid-sleeved navy under armor of his own on, clearly excited to get new clothes that he felt more at home in. Hotaru had been under the watchful eye of the medical personnel the entire day and wasn’t allowed out of the medbay unless it was to eat, since it was a mandatory checkup since most species they knew of didn’t have Saturnian origins- to everyone on the ship, Hotaru was the one Saturnian that they knew of so far. Nobody wanted to risk something happening to her that they had no control over if they didn’t know how she worked. “Hey, Turles! When do you think I’ll get my first set of armor?”

Turles chuckled, ruffling his hair. The boy had grown a bit, having recently turned six on their journey homewards. “Soon, I bet. You never know- might even arrive tomorrow.”

Turles even found himself speaking more, almost as much as he used to before he was kidnapped all those years ago. A welcome change really, compared to having let his voice go rusty from years of disuse and barely even remembering how to speak at all as a result.

He was content with this, even though he knew the remainder of their journey would be turbulent like the rising, furious winds of a storm that awaited them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me five months to finish up- got a bit busy. Part 3 is (thankfully) in the works and may be out by the end of December!

**Author's Note:**

> Updates are going to be quite slow since I no longer have a laptop, but until I can get to regular updates, Stay Safe!


End file.
